The Monster Within
by lacitar13
Summary: Faeries, demons, and other monsters. Oh my!
1. Night Time Is the Worst

Author's Dedication: This story is dedicated to Gingivere the Shadowreave. Would never have had the guts without your stories. I highly recommend them to everyone.  
  
Author's Note: This is set in a modern time line. Also, I hate guys so good that they give you cavities. Many of the favorites of people will be twisted into evil villains. You are warned.  
  
**  
  
The Monster Within Chapter 1  
  
The nightmare caught Wei Yan in its silken claws, ripping him apart as it dragged him under its spell. His world exploded with pain. It was almost as though the years melted away so that he lived that night over again.  
  
Pain surged through his nerves, his only companion. It pounded through his very essence leaving him gasping for air in its wake. The torment had neither ceased nor paused for four long nights. In his lucid moments, he wondered how long it would be before insanity took the fragile slices of his mind and scattered them forever beyond his reach.  
  
But he would not give up. He would fight to stay whole as long as he could. More than just his sanity was on the line. The souls of Shu's generals would be twisted into monsters worse than any nightmare if he failed. And then, there was her. She would be his next experiment. Zhuge Liang had promised him that. Failure was not an option.  
  
Tonight was the last night of the ritual that would change him from a simple man into a demon. Soon the pain would end. When it did, he would tell Shu of the madman in their midst. They would exile or kill the unnatural beast and himself. It did not matter though. All that mattered was that his friends would be safe.  
  
In the nightmare, Zhuge Liang's soft laugh filled his ears. "Is that what you believe? That any of them will be safe? There is no light without darkness. As long as any of them draws breath I will always find them and turn them against you."  
  
A cry was ripped from Wei Yan's lips as he bolted upright. Pain lanced through his body, a sharp reminder that this was no simple nightmare.  
  
Sweat slid down his face, blurring his vision. Grabbing the knife off the table, he plunged it into the fleshy part of his arm. The knife rose and fell over and over until his sheets and skin were saturated with the warm blood. He howled his anguish to the night then slumped over without worry. There would be no need to fear the bloodlust while he died. 


	2. The Damned

Author's Note: Really, I know Lu Meng and Lu Xun are not related. Everything will be explained in time.  
  
*** Monster Within, Chapter 2: The Damned *** From the moment Zhang He had been cursed by Zhuge Liang, he had known there had to be a good reason for it. Looking around the room at the Shu general laying in a pool of blood that was soaking through the mattress on the bed, he knew that this was not that reason.  
  
Glaring around at the mess that was fated to be cleaned by him, he felt his temper rise to the surface. "That is it Wei Yan! How many mattresses have you ruined this month?" With a flourish he slammed the door behind him. "And don't think that I'm cleaning this mess up this time. No. It will be your punishment to suffer through sheet pan hands so that you finally learn an important lesson.  
  
The man on the bed lay oddly still and quiet. The only movement was some blood dripping onto the hardwood floor.  
  
"And don't play dead with me! I know you haven't had a chance to die yet." Zhang He sat down on the bed, his weight barely moving the plush mattress. "I have had just about enough of this!" He hit at the man's leg. "Honestly! What if one of the children ever saw you like this? Can you imagine Lu Xun or Lu Meng making up an excuse for that?"  
  
The figure in the soaked sheets stirred, then moved its leg away from him. It followed it all up with a barely heard growl. "Let...me...die."  
  
Zhang He shrugged. "While I admit it would be nice to not have to be an expert on how to get blood out of clothing anymore, somehow I doubt that you would thank me." He stormed over to the door, and flipped the light switch. There was a growl of disapproval from the direction of the bed. "What if little Huang Zhong saw you like this? With his mother missing you're the only family he has."  
  
A pillow bounced off Zhang He's chest. It left behind a long bloody smear on the front of his violet shirt. The slender general stomped back over to the bed. In a soft whisper he asked, "Do you really want Zhuge Liang to win?" There was no answer from the bed. "If you do then don't say a single word. I'll walk out of here and leave you to die."  
  
Taking the unusual playfullness as a sign of the masked general's good humor, Zhang He snuck a peek. A soft golden glow pulsed around the wounds on the man's arm. "Well, at least your healing abilities are working." Slowly the wounds began to heal themselves. Muscles, arteries, and veins knitted closed of its own accord. "Show off."  
  
Wei Yan's hand came back and lightly punched at the slender general. The movement sent Zhang He flying across the room.  
  
Just as it looked that the Wei general would slam into the wall there was a burst of color. Shiny sparkly light illuminated the room. A hand sized figure floated in the air leaving a shimmering trail behind him as it floated towards the bed. It came to rest on the masked general's chest. "Now why did you do that?"  
  
"Me...want...die." Wei Yan glared at the Wei general who now stood no more than 5 inches tall, his golden faerie wings spread out behind him. "Go...away."  
  
"Ha! Like you can get me to leave you alone? Just who exactly would I molest if you were dead and gone?" Zhang He tapped one tiny foot impatiently.  
  
"Go...away....pretty...boy."  
  
Zhang He gasped and threw one hand dramatically across his forehead. "Pretty? You dare call me pretty? Everyone knows that I am beautiful! B-E-A- U-T-I-F-U-L! I was even on the cover of People's 100 most beautiful people." He ended a pirouette with one of his million-watt smile.  
  
The masked general gave another growl. "Me...no...can...forget. You....never....be...quiet....about....it."  
  
With a smile the slender general rose on his wings and drifted closer to the other general. "Of course I can't! I'm hoping I will become a positive influence on your life and you'll clean yourself up. Or at least stop waking up and slashing yourself into Wei Yan patties. I mean seriously, who would want to eat you?" His violet eyes twinkled. "Have you ever considered altering your homeless wild man without a fashion consultant look?"  
  
Wei Yan growled and reached out to strangle him. Laughing, the faerie danced out of reach. "Leave...alone."  
  
There was another flash of light as Zhang He returned to his regular size.  
  
"Oh I will do that. Of that you need not fear. But I'll remind you first of the reason you served Zhuge Liang for so many years." The amusement fled his face, making him look older. "She's already been reborn. We just have to find her."  
  
The masked general turned away from him. "And need I mention your son? Zhuge Liang went out of the way to ensure that you conceived a child with his mother. What was he planning to do with him? Why is he so special? Without you here we would have never have been able to rescue him that last time, you know. And of course, you are like me. You can not let yourself die until you have made amends."  
  
He was out the door before Wei Yan could throw anything.  
  
@--}--@--{--@  
  
Lu Xun sighed as he took the cookies out of the oven. Double chocolate chip were his favorites, but not even their wonderful fragrance could brighten his mood. He had to accept facts. He would never outwit Zhuge Liang. He was just too damn smart, and had more experienced than a thousand men put together. On top of that, the "team" was breaking up slowly but surely.  
  
It was easy to pinpoint exactly where everything had started to go wrong. It had begun on the day that Yue Ying had disappeared for the first time. Wei Yan had tracked down the woman he considered a sister. By the time they had gotten her back though, there were some in their party that considered her mind already more than half gone. And then there was the fact that she was pregnant. Most of the men had been alive for over a thousand years, yet none had ever been able to conceive a child in the past. It had been a shock to find out that Wei Yan was the father, especially considering how much he had sacrificed for the love of his 'mystery' woman.  
  
They had been able to hide Yue Ying long enough for her to give birth to the child, but she had disappeared shortly afterwards. They could not tell if she had been taken or gone willingly.  
  
Since then, the masked Shu general had nightly tried to take his own life. Zhang He had taken it onto himself to keep the Shu general alive. That had not only caused a rift between him and Sima Yi, but also caused the Wei strategist to forget all about strategy and books, and direct all his passion into nasty little pranks that seemed to focus on anyone who showed him any concern. This in turn had made Zhang Liao become closer and closer to the one man that Lu Xun was unsure was truly on their side, Lu Bu. Even now the two men were in the "study" planning only gods knew what. Something had to give.  
  
Lu Meng thumped down the stairs, dragging young Huang Zhong with him. Lu Xun looked up and smiled. Some things never changed. Little Huang Zhong was one example, but Lu Meng was another. The man had taken him under his wing back when they both served Wu. Now, he took their newest member with him wherever he went.  
  
"See. Cookies."  
  
"And he didn't even eat one. I'm impressed!" The youngster reached up and took one off the cooled pan. "Mmmmmm." At the first bite the child closed his eyes, savoring the sweet concoction.  
  
With a sigh, Lu Xun began placing cookies on a plate. The child had more of an appetite than any one man recently.  
  
Zhou Tai entered the room. "A word in the study."  
  
He stepped back out as quietly as he entered. The two Wu generals shared a glance. That was where Lu Bu and Zhang Liao had been spending time together recently. This did not bode well. *** Chapter 3: What could Lu Bu and Zhang Liao possibly be up to? What did Zhou Tai find out? Will Wei Yan finally get out of his funk? And the most important question of all, will Huang Zhong hog all the cookies?!?! *** Sorry this is all so confusing. I swear it will make sense in future chapters! I think.  
  
Anon: Yep, all of them have Wei Yan and Zhuge Liang in it, except Bodyguards. Bwhahaha! Finally! A story without Wei Yan...*is poked by Wei Yan*  
  
Wei Yan: Me...shows....up...in...later....chapters.  
  
Nat: Darn you Wei Yan! I'll get you yet! Seriously now, I'm very Shu-ish. Most people think I act like Ma Chao. Very scary. *runs around screaming about Cao Cao*  
  
Imguam: I swear he's not dead and it all makes sense in 30 or 40 chapters. ^_^  
  
Chibi: Oh he's fine as you can see. He's just covered in blood. Think of it like being a mud bath. Errrr okay maybe a blood bath. Glad you like it. Of course I'm throwing in your favorites since its for you. So Lu Meng and Lu Xun will be in it. Watch for Gan Ning to show up. As well as some rather yaoi-ish pairings. *Eats all the cookies* yummy. There is more. I would never hurt our Wei Yan for long. He would never forgive me if I did. 


End file.
